Newcastle United have reportedly reached an agreement with Leicester City to sign winger Harvey Barnes for a fee in the region of £38m.
Following their relegation to the Championship, the Foxes have been resigned to losing the 25-year-old, who has been linked with a number of Premier League clubs throughout this summer.
Aston Villa, West Ham United and Tottenham Hotspur have all been credited with an interest in Barnes, but Newcastle are believed to have been leading the race for his signature over the last few weeks.
A recent report claims that the Magpies have been in advanced negotiations with Leicester over a deal to sign Barnes, who was initially valued by the Foxes at £40m.
Now, The Athletic reports that Newcastle have agreed a fee of around £38m to sign the one-cap England international.
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The report adds that Barnes should have no issues agreeing personal terms with the Magpies and the winger is expected to link up with Eddie Howe's side before the new season begins.
Barnes joined Leicester's academy at the age of nine back in 2007 and worked his way through the club's youth system before making his professional debut in December 2016.
The winger gained valuable first-team experience on loan at MK Dons, Barnsley and West Bromwich Albion before establishing himself as a key player in the Leicester first team over the last four seasons.
Barnes has scored 45 goals and registered 32 assists in 187 appearances for the Foxes across all tournaments, including 13 strikes and one assist in 34 Premier League matches last season.
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Barnes is set to become the second high-profile Leicester player to leave the King Power Stadium this summer after James Maddison, who has joined Tottenham for a reported £40m.
Newcastle, meanwhile, have already made one marquee signing this summer in the form of Italian midfielder Sandro Tonali, who joined from AC Milan for £60.2m last month.
Howe has since acknowledged that the Magpies are having to work to "a very strict budget" this summer due to Financial Fair Play regulations, and they are required to sell players to raise funds for new recruits.
The agreement to sign Barnes from Leicester comes just a day after Howe revealed that winger Allan Saint-Maximin is closing in on a move to Saudi Arabian outfit Al-Ahli.
Oliver Thomas
